Selecting the appropriate level for your routine
Teams from all kinds of youth organizations attend the New England Cheer and Dance Competition so we try to make the division restrictions as broad as possible while still attempting to offer a somewhat level playing field. The divisions and levels at this competition may not match those of your particular organization so please use the guidelines below to help you determine how to register your team. Our goal is to have a fun, relaxed atmosphere, yet provide an exciting venue where teams get to compete against someone other than who they traditionally come up against at their league or regional tournament.
Coaches of cheer teams need to choose between the Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond levels. We aim to allow teams presenting similar skills to compete against each other, and coaches to focus on clean, safe execution rather than feeling pressure to attempt difficulty with their often first-year athletes. We have created these levels based on the divisions offered by your organizations. As you know your squad’s choreography, please examine your routine closely to determine which category it belongs in this year. No matter which level you choose, squads are limited to what their individual organizations allow. You must follow the guidelines set out by your program.
For our 2025 tournament, we have reconfigured the format and skills allowed in each level to better correspond with the divisions offered by OCYCA and YCADA. We hope this will result in teams being able to compete their routines ‘as is’, with minimal to no changes!
Bronze level routine restrictions (Novice or Level 1 Limited):
Stunts (including inversions, release moves and tosses)
- two leg stunts at and below prep level
- single leg stunts at knee and below level (including on nuggets)
- no inversions
- no release moves
- no baskets/tosses
Pyramids
- must follow ‘Stunts’ restrictions
Dismounts
- no cradles
Tumbling
- no advanced/elite tumbling (any number may perform rolls, cartwheels, roundoffs and walkovers)
Silver level routine restrictions (Beginner or Level 1):
Stunts (including inversions, release moves and tosses)
- two leg stunts at and below prep level
- single leg stunts at and below waist level (exception: at prep level if braced with hand/arm contact with a base/post/spotter)
- hitches, show and go’s, stunts where the bases’ arms are extended but the flyer is seated or horizontal
- twisting entries and transitions limited to ¼ turn
- no inversions in stunts (exception: ground-to-ground cartwheel over partner)
- no baskets/tosses
- release-style transitions (spotter or post maintains contact) at and below waist level and
- during cradles/cradle reloads/flatback positions
Pyramids
- extended two legs stunts and prep level single leg stunts braced hand/arm on at least one side
- no flips
- no release transitions (exception: flyer may remain braced during cradle)
Dismounts
- cradles limited to ¼ twist
- no flips or inversions
Tumbling
- advanced/elite tumbling limited to 25% of team (any number may perform rolls, cartwheels, roundoffs and walkovers)
Gold level routine restrictions (Intermediate or Level 2):
Stunts (including inversions, release moves and tosses)
- two leg stunts at and below extended level
- single leg stunts at and below prep level
- twisting entries and transitions limited to 1/2 turn
- inversions from the ground to below prep level
- release-style transitions (post or spotter maintains contact) at and below prep level and during barrel rolls/cradles/cradle reloads and flatback positions (may pass through extension)
- straight ride baskets/tosses only
Pyramids
- extended single leg stunts braced hand/arm on at least one side
- release transitions (1 bracer maintains hand/arm contact) at and below prep level and during cradles/cradle reloads/flatback positions (may pass through extension)
Dismounts
- single twist cradle from 2 legs at prep
- inversions with hands to mat from below prep level
- no flips
Tumbling
- elite tumbling limited to 50% of team (any number may perform rolls, cartwheels, roundoffs, walkovers and handsprings)
Platinum level routine restrictions (Advanced or Level 3):
Stunts (including inversions, release moves and tosses)
- single leg stunts at and below extended level
- twisting entries and transitions limited to one full twist at prep level
- ½ twists up to 2 leg extensions
- inversions at or below prep level
- releases at or below prep level (may pass through extension)
- tosses limited to single trick or up to 1 and ¼ twist
Pyramids
- extended single leg stunts braced by extended or below 2 leg stunts
- release transitions (1 bracer maintains hand/arm contact) at and below extended level
- braced flips (no twisting) beginning/ending at prep level or below
Dismounts
- cradles from 2 legs at extension and single leg prep level limited to 1 and ¼ twist
- inversions during dismounts from prep level and below
Tumbling
- elite tumbling limited to 75% of team (any number may perform rolls, cartwheels, roundoffs, walkovers and handsprings)
Diamond level routine restrictions (Elite or Level 4):
- Teams must follow the rules set out for them by their individual organizations
We will have level judges in the warm-up area to help ensure that all teams are in the appropriate divisions before they hit the competition floor. Any post-performance concerns will be addressed privately between the coaching staff and head judge prior to the awards ceremony, if possible.
Feel free to contact Lisa Moskow at 413-531-2095 or moskow_lisa@yahoo.com with any questions on your squad’s routine components. We will be happy to work with you to help you make any necessary adjustments to your choreography or determine the best fit for your team.
Here are some frequently asked questions about the levels:
Q) “Most of our stunts and pyramids are done at shoulder height or below. We have 3 of our 15 cheerleaders doing standing back-handsprings. Can we still enter the Silver level since most of our stunts are thigh and shoulder level?”
A) Yes, 3 out of 15 is below the 25 % allowed in the Bronze level. The 5 points for tumbling are assessed primarily on the ‘team tumble’, not skills performed by a few individuals, so there is not an unfair advantage over teams performing only beginning level tumbling.
Q) “Our routine is all-music, we don’t do a cheer portion. How can we compete against teams doing a cheer if we get zero points for voice?”
A) The top category on the score sheet “Cheer/Voice” allows it’s 10 points to be distributed differently if a team has an all-music routine. The judges will know in advance if your routine includes a cheer in which case points will be awarded for volume and/or crowd interaction. If no cheer, those 5 points will be assessed based on the Creative Impact of the routine. The other 5 points are given for Effective Use of Props and/or Visual use of Skills, which can apply during a cheer portion or over the course of the routine if all-music.
Q) “Our program doesn’t allow us to do basket tosses, if other teams are doing them how can we compete?”
A) Our judges are scoring your routine based on what skills you do perform, not what you don’t, and execution is their primary driver. Specific stunts are not listed on the scoresheet, so you won’t be deemed to be ‘missing’ an element. Remember that it’s likely the team doing a basket in their routine is not allowed to, for example, perform an inverted entry into a stunt, which your program might permit. One stunt, no matter how beautifully performed, is not going to make or break the results, especially with 90 points in other categories being distributed.
Q) “Our team of 16 has great stunting, we have 4 groups twisting from extended heel stretches and a cool release flipping transitional pyramid. Unfortunately we don’t have strong tumbling, only 7 have back handsprings and 5 have round-off back handspring back tucks. The rest of the team is doing cartwheels and forward rolls. Should we water down our stunts and enter Platinum?”
A) No, you should keep in the skills you’ve worked so hard on. Tumbling is only worth 5 points and since it’s category judging, that’s from just one judge. If what they do is well executed and creatively choreographed, your score won’t be so far behind a team with more advanced tumbling that you can’t make it up in the other 95 points up for grabs on the scoresheet.
The primary goal of this tournament is to offer teams an opportunity to show off their routines and be recognized for the hard work they have put into preparing them. Squads from many different organizations attend, and they all have different rules and requirements. We have tried to create more categories to reduce the need for teams to make big changes to their choreography while still offering a somewhat level playing field. We make adjustments each year based on feedback from the coaches who’ve attended, and will welcome yours after the event!
If you have any questions about the levels, please don’t hesitate to call Lisa Moskow, judge’s coordinator, at 413-531-2095 for more information or clarification.